


electric love (a ghost boyfriends/walex one shot)

by thirteen_beaches



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: (kinda), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, I Am Sorry, M/M, Post-Canon, anyway, ghost boyfriends, no beta we die like men, this is kinda sad lol, why acn i not write just fluff for them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:02:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26842582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirteen_beaches/pseuds/thirteen_beaches
Summary: after their performance at the orpheum, and whatever happened with the stamps, alex desperately wants to see willie again. but what if he doesn't want to see him? and what if things aren't okay at all?guess they'll just have to figure it out
Relationships: Alex & Julie Molina, Alex & Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 213





	electric love (a ghost boyfriends/walex one shot)

It had been a few days since the band had played at the Orpheum, they had clearly _not_ crossed over, and whatever happened when they hugged Julie that made her able to actually touch them, had happened. The shock of being able to actually hug Julie, high-five her and everything, had still not run out, but it had started to.

And Alex still hadn’t gone to find Willie.

Oh, he was definitely trying to reason it out with himself. _Seeing him after the stunt they had pulled at Caleb’s club would definitely put him in great danger with him. Caleb wasn’t done with them, so maybe it was better for Willie to think that they had crossed over successfully._

_He didn’t like Alex the same way, and wasn’t waiting to see him again._

Alex just groaned, pressing his palms against his eyes. He was sitting on the upper landing of the studio, his legs dangling off the edge as he got lost in his thoughts, the ‘what-ifs’ and ‘maybes’ eating him up inside.

He heard a faint ‘whoosh’ beside him, and turned to see Luke had just poofed up, moving to sit next to him. Alex sighed, giving him a small smile. “Getting bored, are you?” he asked, and Luke just rolled his eyes, pushing Alex with his shoulder.

“Do I need an excuse to talk to you?” Luke asked, scoffing slightly, and Alex let out a short laugh. But their smile faded, and Luke looked at him, concerned. “Are you okay, Alex?” he asked quietly, and Alex turned to look at him.

“Uh, why wouldn’t I be?” he answered, laughing awkwardly. He started to drum his hands on his knees, shrugging. “I mean, we are better than we’ve been since we died, with the stamps being gone and stuff. So yeah.”

But Luke sighed, reaching out to grab one of Alex’s hand, forcing him to look up at him. “Alex,” he said softly, and Alex sighed, gulping. “You know I’ve been able to tell when you’re clearly lying, right?”

Alex let out a short laugh. “Yeah, and that’s super annoying,” he groaned, and Luke laughed quietly. “I don’t know Luke, do you really wanna hear about it?” he asked unsurely.

Luke narrowed his eyes, clearly confused. “Why wouldn’t I want to hear about it? If it’s bothering you, of course I’ll want to help you.”

“It’s about Willie,” Alex said quietly, and Luke stopped, turning away with a slow nod.

“Oh,” he whispered softly. Alex looked over at Luke, who was now resting his head on the railing of the landing, staring down at the ground as his feet swung.

“Yeah,” he whispered back, resting his chin on the railing too. There was silence between them for a few moments, Luke looking over at Alex, trying to figure out what to say to him, before just sighing and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“So, why did you think I wouldn’t wanna help with that?” Luke asked again, and Alex looked over, rolling his eyes slightly.

“Come on Luke, you know why,” he said quietly, smiling slightly. “Like I know its been like 25 years, but for us it was like a few months ago when we died, so its still pretty recent,” he continued, looking away. “I didn’t know if it was too soon, or if you’d be okay,” he trailed off.

Luke laughed, shaking his head as she shook Alex’s shoulder. “Dude, I told you that day, I’m happy for you!” he said, with a bright smile. “And no, it isn’t too soon, besides, we mutually broke up, so no worries!”

Alex smiled, nodding. “Okay, okay cool,” he said softly, and Luke’s smile melted into a smirk.

“Besides, who better to help you than your ex, huh?” he said with a wink, and Alex groaned, rolling his eyes as he shoved Luke away.

“Sometimes, I wonder what I saw in you,” Alex sighed, and Luke laughed, shoving his shoulder.

“Well, now you’re just stalling, Alex,” Luke laughed, but it dropped as soon as he saw Alex’s worried expression.

“Okay well, it’s like, I really like Willie,” Alex said with a small smile, leaning his head against the banister. “But, Caleb owns his soul, and after whatever we pulled at his club, you know he’s still gonna be after us. Especially when he finds out we managed to get the stamps,” he continued, almost crawling into himself. “Who knows what will happen to Willie?” he whispered.

Luke sighed, wrapping an arm around Alex’s shoulders, smiling gently. “Alex, it’s all gonna be okay,” he reassured, shaking him slightly. “In fact, I’m also more than willing to bet, Willie is gonna be super happy when he sees you alive and well!”

Alex snorted, and Luke furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, before suddenly realising what he said. “Well, not ‘alive’, but, well,” he stammered, before groaning loudly, shoving Alex’s shoulder as he got up. “You know what I mean!”

“Yeah, yeah I know what you mean, you big goof,” Luke said with a laugh. But he calmed down a bit, wrapping his arm around Alex’s shoulder, and pulling him closer. “Don’t worry about Caleb, and everything, okay? It’s gonna work out just fine.”

Alex sighed, turning to hug Luke, feeling himself relax slightly. “Thanks Luke,” he said quietly, and Luke let out a soft laugh, hugging Alex back. But as he pulled away, Alex gave a small smirk. “Guess you aren’t useless after all,” he said cheekily, and Luke gasped loudly, shoving him.

“Now you listen up!” Luke yelled, and Alex laughed, scrambling to get up and run down, Luke chasing after him in anger.

_He had to just keep believing things would be okay. They had to be._

*

Alex had been walking down the street near the Orpheum for a few days now, always hanging around, observing lifers just going about their day as if everything was normal, every day waiting for Willie to skate by, to bump into him. And every day, he would poof back home disappointed.

It had gotten to the point where Alex was starting to lose hope in ever seeing Willie again, and he would be on the verge of not going back there. But every time, he would stop himself from thinking that way, trying to reason with his irrational mind.

_Willie thought he had crossed over, he didn’t know Alex was still around._

_For all Willie knew, Alex may have moved to, he didn’t know where, but somewhere?_

_He probably thought it would be painful to skate where they had met for the first time._

It was like a mini mantra Alex would repeat over and over in his mind, trying to build up his confidence and convince himself everything was okay, and that eventually he would find Willie again. He would dream up scenarios as he walked on the pier, past the walking families and the couples. He’d dream of Willie’s reaction to seeing him still around, and okay, more than anything else. In his dreams, he’d be ecstatic. He hoped that it would be that way in reality too.

On that day as Alex walked down the street, however, the energy was different, somehow. He couldn’t quite place a finger on it, but something about the day felt distinct as compared to every time he walked down the street and stared up at the sign of the Orpheum.

And he was about to figure out exactly why.

All of a sudden, he felt something collide with his back, and Alex felt himself get launched forward because of the momentum, and he was just able to cover his face with his arms as he hit the concrete. He felt the person who had crashed into him fall on top of him, groaning loudly.

Alex grumbled, sitting up as he held his head, painfully aware of the way it felt like his brain was rocking around in his head because of the impact with the ground. “Watch where you’re going!” Alex groaned, but as he looked up at the person who had crashed into him, all his anger and annoyance stopped, melting away quickly.

Willie.

“It’s you,” Alex whispered, his voice holding so much wonder and relief. Willie looked up at Alex, his eyes going wide in shock, and he scrambled onto his feet, pulling Alex up too. He opened his mouth repeatedly, trying to find something to say, but every time he tried to, it wasn’t right, because _how?_

“Al-Alex? How are you here? You were supposed to cross over!” Willie finally stammered, out, scratching the inside of his thumb as he looked around frantically. “Y-You guys did play at the Orpheum right? Cuz, how are you still here, what’s going on?”

“Willie, Willie, Willie,” Alex said with a short laugh, grabbing Willie’s shoulders with a small smile. “Calm down, I can’t get what you’re saying if you worry so much!” Alex dropped his hands quickly, grabbing his elbow. “Playing the Orpheum wasn’t our unfinished business,” he said quietly, and Willie sighed, looking away.

“T-Then, you accepted Caleb’s offer?” Willie said slowly, not daring to look up. “Because, last I remembered the jolts were getting super bad.”

Alex smiled, punching Willie’s shoulder lightly, still blinded by pure joy at having found the other ghost. “No! Check this out, something happened after our performance at the Orpheum,” he said, laughing excitedly. “Caleb had initially forced us to play in his band that night, but we managed to get out of there and join Julie. And somehow, after the show, back in our studio, something happened that removed our stamps, and we were able to actually hug her!” Alex smiled, looking down at his feet at the fondness of the memory. “Something changed in us that day.”

“Whoa,” Willie said, letting out an exhausted laugh. “That’s so weird. I’ve never heard of something like that happening before.” Alex nodded, looking back up at Willie. But now that the initial surprise and joy of seeing Willie again had faded, Alex realised just how tired, broken and almost empty Willie looked. The realisation hit Alex hard, and he leaned back, gasping. But he didn’t know what to say, how to ask Willie what had happened.

It hadn’t seemed like that much time had passed after all. So how could he have expected this?

Willie noticed the way Alex suddenly reacted, and looked away, pulling at the hem of his shirt. “Look Alex, I’m really happy you’re okay, you have no idea,” Willie said as he looked up at Alex, his voice sincere. But when Alex met his eyes, he could see the tears forming in them. “And you have no idea how much I just wanna stay and hang out with you right now, but, now that you’ve somehow gotten the stamp removed and can actually touch a lifer? Caleb is gonna be after you with even more force.”

“Then we’ll figure it out!” Alex said, walking up to Willie. “Like we did with the stamps.”

“I’m pretty sure with the stamps you got lucky,” Willie snapped back, and Alex started away, staggering back. Willie drew a sharp breath, his expression softening as he reached out, brushing his fingers on Alex’s forearm. “Alex, I’m, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell,” he said quietly, but Alex just kept his eyes down. “But, you know deep down I’m right. And with the control Caleb has, you and me hanging out would just mean more danger for you. I want to make sure you’re safe!” he said desperately, grabbing Alex’s hand. “I would do anything to make sure nothing happens to you.”

“But what about you?” Alex said, stepping forward. He stared intently at Willie, taking a deep breath. “Look Willie, believe me, I understand that you want me to be safe, okay? But, I want to be around you, I want to spend time with you like we used to! I want,” Alex faltered, looking away as he gulped nervously. “I want to be with you, Willie.”

Willie gasped, letting out a soft laugh of relief. “Alex,” he said softly, feeling his heart warm despite everything that had been said. “I want to be with you too,” he said, looking up at Alex. He reached out hesitantly, brushing his thumb against Alex’s cheek, and he sighed, leaning into the touch. But Willie sighed, pulling his hand away, and Alex let out a quiet gasp, immediately missing the sense of intimacy. “But, I can’t. We can’t, it’s too dangerous, and you would only get hurt,” he said, looking away, and Alex groaned.

“Why? Willie, we can figure things out, why can’t we even try?” he asked loudly, and passing lifers looked around in confusion as they thought they heard someone shout.

“Because!” Willie began to say, but he was cut off quite quickly. By a purple jolt of electricity that coursed through his body, causing him to double over in pain with a loud cry.

Ale stumbled back, covering his mouth with his hands to muffle his cry, feeling like his heart had stopped (even though he was dead and his heart had stopped 25 years ago). But seeing Willie hugging themselves, panting after the shock that had passed through them, Alex’s mind began to play a film reel of all the times he and the other boys had gone through the exact same thing, all while Luke’s reassuring words played over them, mocking him, taunting him.

_Who allowed him to believe even for a second everything would be okay?_

Willie’s gasp of pain caused Alex to snap out of his spiral, and he ran forward, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, allowing Willie to completely lean against Alex, all his weight against him. He looked around frantically, and found a bench that was clear of any lifers, and rested Willie on it, sitting up beside him.

“Are you okay? Are you still in pain?” Alex asked quickly, and Willie leaned against the back of the bench, gulping in air.

“I’m fine,” Willie gasped out, nodding quickly. Without lifting his head, he turned to look over at Alex, a crooked smile on his face. “Just the old pains. Not worse than getting hit by a car I can tell you.”

Alex shook his head, trying to hold back tears as he looked over Willie, meeting his eyes again. “How long?” was all he could choke out, and Willie looked away.

“A while,” he murmured, and Alex looked away, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Something’s off about this time, it’s like it’s following an accelerated timeline.”

“So, whatever effect the stamps are supposed to have, it’s gonna come sooner for you?” Alex asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper. Willie nodded slowly, clutching his side as he sat up to face Alex.

“That’s why,” he said in a broken voice, and Alex met his eyes, almost losing it seeing the way Willie’s eyes were filling up. “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

Alex let out a short laugh, cupping Willie’s face with his palm. “You saw me like that, don’t think I’m letting you go through this alone,” he said firmly, and Willie let out a sob, looking away. Alex sighed, looking ahead, pressing his hands together. “Okay, we need to make sure you cross over, figure out your unfinished business, then you’ll be okay.”

But even before he finished, Willie was shaking his head, looking away. “There’s no point Alex,” he said quietly, and Alex turned to look at Willie, who had pulled his legs up onto the bench, hugging his knees to his chest. “Even before I knew you were okay, I tried everything. I figured out, five different possible unfinished businesses I could have, and nothing worked. I guess I’m just doomed to come to an end this way.”

“Don’t say that!” Alex interrupted him, shaking Willie’s shoulders. “Don’t ever say that, Willie. You can’t believe that!” he cried out, tears streaming down his cheeks now, his voice beyond desperation. It was pure distress, ambulance sirens concealed in words.

“What else can I do, Alex!” Willie retorted, turning to face Alex, pushing his hands away. “I have tried everything, and I don’t have a lifer with me, who can just hug me and make it all go away, and make me feel better! I’m all alone in this, like I have always been!” he yelled, hot tears blurring his vision. He drew a shaky breath, wiping them away harshly with the back of his hand. Alex just stared at him, his tears matching Willie’s, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just tugged at Willie’s hoodie, and Willie looked up to see Alex open his arms.

It didn’t take any convincing for him to just let out a choked sob and sink in Alex’s arms, crying his heart out.

“Why is everything against us?” Willie cried into Alex’s shirt, and it was taking everything in Alex to not break down at the way he had said it.

_He wished he knew. He wished he knew why the world was against them, even though it felt like they were soulmates._

*

After that day, despite several concerns from Willie, Alex made it a point to spend as much time with him, somehow poofing in wherever Willie was. They spent hours together, just talking, roaming the city, exchanging stories from their lives, like every day was a first date. The sword that hung over their relationship was never spoken about, but it never hesitated to make its presence known, the jolts coming to incapacitate Willie with rapidly increasing frequency. Every time it would happen, he’d let out a loud cry, and Alex would rush forward to hold him, support his weight and just be there. Its all he could do, how much ever it hurt him.

With every day, however, they couldn’t keep ignoring what was happening, and Alex was hellbent on trying to solve it, trying to help Willie crossover.

“You sure about your parents?” Alex asked as they walked down the beach one evening, and Willie sighed, looking down at the sand.

“I’ve tried every variation Alex,” he said quietly, looking out at the breaking waves. “Kicked some of my old boxes so they’d find my diaries and read them, seeing things I couldn’t tell them. It was emotional, but it didn’t work,” Willie said, but he stopped, looking up with a small smile. “But, it did feel nice, them finally knowing every part of me. There was so much I hadn’t said to them, it felt like a breath of fresh air to let them know. I can’t even imagine what it must’ve been like for them.”

“Your parents seem like such good people,” Alex sighed, kicking the sand. Willie had taken him the other day to see his parents, and Alex was smiling through tears seeing the LGBT Youth Centre they were helping run. He knew it was something that meant a lot to Willie, because every time he looked over at the other boy, he could see quiet pride in his eyes. “They’re doing something so important.”

Willie smiled softly, nodding. “Yeah, I was super lucky,” he said softly. “They didn’t even bat an eye when I came out to them, even though I felt like I was suffocating from worry.”

Alex sighed wistfully, stopping and sitting down on the beach sand, Willie joining him. “I’m really happy you got to experience that Willie,” he said quietly, looking over at him. Willie drew a breath, looking back over at Alex, before resting his head on Alex’s shoulder, shuffling closer to him. The sun was setting in front of them, the sky going crimson, and the two of them just looked out at the waves breaking on the beach, the silence weighed down by everything happening around them.

Just then, as if to cruelly remind them of the reality of the world, a jolt of purple electricity sparked in Willie’s chest, and he yelped, groaning as he clutched his side. As soon as it happened, Alex reached forward to hold onto him, to comfort him. Willie felt a small sob escape their lips, and Alex tugged their shoulder, pulling him in for a hug as he let Willie breathe, trying to work through the pain.

“That was a bad one, wasn’t it?” Willie said hoarsely, trying to make light of the whole thing. But Alex just let out a shaky breath, shaking his head.

“Is there really nothing we can try?” Alex asked. He turned to look at Willie’ who had lifted his head, resting his chin on his knees. “Nothing your unfinished business could be that, maybe we didn’t consider. Something?”

“Alex,” Willie said quietly, cutting the other ghost off. “There’s nothing we can do now,” he mumbled, facing the sea. Alex gulped nervously, feeling the familiar bubble of anxiety filling up his chest, threatening to drag him under. Willie sensed this, and reached over, grabbing Alex’s hand, stroking the back of his palm with his thumb. “I just want to watch this sunset with you now,” he said with a small smile, and Alex looked up, letting out a quiet gasp at the colour of the sky.

“I know, I know,” Alex whispered quietly, turning his palm so they could interlace their fingers. “I just wish there was something I could do to help you.”

Willie laughed quietly, bumping his shoulder with Alex’s. “You are,” he said gently, and Alex let out a small laugh, looking up to meet Willie’s eyes. “All this, I just, thank you for being with me. Through all of this. You’re a good guy, Alex,” Willie whispered, and Alex took a deep breath, flashing a small smile.

“I’d do anything for you, Willie,” Alex said quietly, and both of them knew it. It was their thing, after all.

“Hey, Julie is having another house party where we’ll be performing,” Alex said as he and Willie started to make their way back. Willie turned, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. “And, I don’t know, I kinda want you to come too.”

Willie smiled in amusement, nodding quickly as he reached out and squeezed Alex’s hand. “I’d love that,” he said quietly, and Alex immediately lit up, letting out a quiet giggle as he swung his and Willie’s hands as they walked.

“I’ve always wanted to hear you play,” Willie said, and Alex looked down at his shoes, feeling his cheeks warm up. “Just hoped it would’ve been when I was in better condition.”

“You’ll be there,” Alex said quickly, letting go of Willie’s hands once they had reached the main street where they always met. He turned to face the other ghost, flashing a lopsided smile. “That’s all that matters to me.”

*

“You look extra nervous for the party today, Alex,” Julie said as she walked into the studio. She was wearing her mother’s leather vest over the purple top from their performance at the Orpheum, paired with black ripped jeans. Alex, who had been twirling his drumsticks constantly for the past hour or so as he paced around the studio, turned at the sound of her voice.

“Whoa, Julie!” Alex exclaimed, walking up to her with an excited laugh. “You look amazing!”

Julie laughed, spinning around before pointing at Alex with a smirk. “You’re not so bad yourself, Alex,” she said, noting the significant effort Alex had taken into his look, exchanging his baggy cargo pants and t-shirt look for a more classic rocker look, with dark jeans and a plain white tee, tied off with a French tuck and a dark blue jacket. “Why, someone special coming tonight?”

As Julie said that, Alex’s face turned red, and he looked away, stammering. “Uh, I, well, kinda,” he mumbled, and Julie let out a surprised laugh, grabbing his shoulder in excitement. Alex turned to look at her, staring at him in anticipation, before rolling his eyes. “It’s Willie,” he said quietly, shrugging.

“I knew you had something with them!” she cheered, jumping up and down as she shook Alex’s shoulders. “You invited him, oh my god, this is big! Will you introduce me to him? Can I even see him? I don’t know!” Julie started speaking quickly, her excitement causing her to ramble a bit, and Alex just laughed, placing his hands on her shoulder to calm her down a bit.

“Julie, that’s not doing much for my nerves right now,” he laughed, and Julie sighed, shaking her head as she took a deep breath. But as the excitement, and slight hysteria, died down, Alex sighed, his smile morphing into a sad expression, and he sank into the couch. “I don’t like to think about it, but it might be the last time I see him,” he said quietly, his voice breaking.

Julie frowned, sitting down beside Alex. “Wait, what do you mean ‘last time’?” she asked, clearly confused. “Did you guys fight or something?”

Alex just shook his head, hugging a pillow to his chest. “Remember those stamps that we got from Caleb’s club?” he asked, looking over at Julie, who nodded, her expression growing dark. “I think you can guess what I’m about to say next,” he mumbled, burying his face in the pillow.

Julie gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as the realisation hit. She looked over at Alex, tears filling her eyes as she leaned over, wrapping him in a hug. “Alex,” she whispered, and something about the way she said his name made Alex want to give up everything right then and there, and just leave. They just sat there, hugging each other, Julie rubbing Alex’s back, trying to comfort him as much as she could.

As they pulled away, she smiled wistfully, covering Alex’s hand with both of her’s. “We’re gonna make this the best show we got,” she whispered, and Alex nodded, smiling.

“Thanks, Julie,” he whispered, and she smiled, punching his shoulder lightly.

“That’s what friends are for, right?” she said quietly, before getting up, pulling Alex up by the arm.

They had a show to do.

*

“Hey everyone! We’re Julie and the Phantoms, and let’s get this party started!”

At Julie’s announcement, the crowd of people cheered loudly, and Reggie laughed, looking over at Alex excitedly. Alex smiled back, but quickly turned his eyes back to the crowd, searching every person. As Julie began to play the opening chords to their song ‘Finally Free, Alex caught something moving in his peripheral vision, and turned to see Willie just poof in at the edge of the crowd. Alex let out a quiet laugh, catching Willie’s eye.

_Hearts on fire  
We're no liars, so we say what we wanna say  
I'm awakened, no more faking  
So we push all our fears away_

He looked good. Well, Willie always looked good, but he looked good the way he did the first time they had gone to Caleb’s club. Alex could’ve spent forever staring at him, feeling warm as Willie smiled excitedly at him.

_Don't know if I'll make 'cause I'm falling under  
Close my eyes and feel my chest beating like thunder_

As the beat grew, and Alex readied himself for when they would poof into view of everyone else, he snuck one last look at Willie, who was leaning against the wall of the garage. He narrowed his eyes, tilting his head slightly at Willie, who caught his gesture.

 _You okay?_ he asked, without saying anything.

 _I wanna fly_  
Come alive  
Watch me shine

Willie, who looked like he had been running, just smiled at Alex, nodding to the growing swell of the chorus. He just shook his head, raising his eyebrow.

 _I’m fine, just pay attention to your music hot dog,_ it was like he responded, and Alex smiled, letting out a short laugh in the last moment before he and the rest of the band crashed onto the scene.

After all, who was he to pass up the chance to try and impress the boy he liked so much?

*

“Thank you everyone! Again, we’re Julie and the Phantoms, tell your friends!” Julie said loudly into the microphone to the thunderous applause, before running up to Flynn, giving them the biggest hug. She turned back to the boys, who were invisible again, and she gestured that she was heading inside with the others, before she and Flynn took off running after everyone.

Luke, Reggie and Alex waved after her, before all falling into a group hug, jumping up and down in excitement.

“That had to be our best performance to date!” Luke shouted, and Reggie nodded excitedly.

“I felt as close as to being alive that time since, well since I was alive!” Reggie exclaimed, and Alex laughed, shaking his head.

“You guys,” he sighed, looking down, before snapping back up, eyes wide. “Wait, Willie was here!” he gasped, looking around. “Willie? Willie, are you still there?”

“Here,” a weak, hoarse voice croaked out, and the group turned around to face the garage door, and Alex gasped, running forward.

Willie wasn’t doing good. Clearly, the jolt from the start of the performance had just been the first of many, each one increasingly more painful, with lesser and lesser time between each. It had reached the point where Willie wasn’t able to stand up on his own, leaning against the garage door for as much support as he could get. His breathing was ragged and pained, like every moment he was spending energy was taking more than it should from him. And it was breaking Alex’s heart.

“Willie,” he gasped out as he ran up to Willie, wrapping his arm around his shoulders, supporting him against his body. Willie pushed himself off the wall, all his weight leaning on Alex as he staggered closer to him, wheezing with every step forward they took. “Willie, its okay, I got you. It’s gonna be okay, we’ll be okay,” Alex whispered, wiping away Willie’s hair from his face.

But Willie just shook his head, drawing a pained breath while looking up at Alex. “It’s not Alex,” he whispered, and Alex let out a whine, his breathing growing heavier. “I, I don’t have much time,” he said slowly.

“No, no no no, there has to be something, anything!” Alex said, his voice scared. “Tell me, there’s something I should be able to do, anything!”

Willie sighed, letting out a sad laugh as he cupped Alex’s face, rubbing his cheek with his palm. “There’s just one thing I want right now Alex,” he said quietly, before collapsing into his arms, sighing as he felt Alex’s arms wrap around him, holding him tightly.

“I wish we had more time,” Alex whispered, his voice muffled and choked by sobs. Willie nuzzled his head into the crook of Alex’s neck, letting himself be enveloped by the safety he felt around Alex.

“Everything I’ve ever done, I’ve been running after something more,” Willie whispered, holding Alex closer as he felt another painful electric jolt cut him off. As the shock passed, Alex tightened his grip around Willie, cradling his head protectively. “I never felt like running when I was with you Alex,” he said quietly, smiling wistfully. “I love you, Alex.”

Alex gasped, letting out a surprised laugh, before turning his head to press a quick kiss to Willie’s cheek, the tears freely flowing now. “I love you too, Willie,” he whispered, and Willie felt a weight lift from his shoulders, the dread he had been unconsciously carrying falling away.

“This is all I could want now,” Willie whispered, holding onto Alex, eyes closed, because he knew this was the end. “Being here with you, Alex? That’s all I could want.”

And that’s when it happened.

All of a sudden, a blinding glow emanated, and Alex winced, stepping away from Willie, who straightened up in confusion. The lights around them looked brighter, and the energy shifted.

“Whoa,” Luke gasped, and Alex realised that he and Reggie had been there the entire time, just giving them space, but there nonetheless.

“Wait isn’t this what happened with us?” Reggie said, narrowing his eyes, and Alex turned around quickly, eyes wide with realisation. He turned to see Willie holding out his wrist, gasping in shock. Alex stared as the purple stamp he and the other boys were all too familiar with, rose into the air, evaporating into the air.

“I, I feel stronger,” Willie said softly, and Alex let out a relieved laugh, jumping forward, pulling Willie into a tight embrace. He got knocked back by the force, but Willie just laughed, hugging Alex back just as tight. “I can’t believe it, I’m just, whoa!”

“Wait but how?” Alex asked, still hugging Willie. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to let go anytime soon, not when he thought he was about to lose his soulmate forever. “It happened to us, and now you! What does this mean?”

“Wait,” Willie said, regretfully pulling away from Alex, looking him in the eye. “When you and Julie hugged after playing at the Orpheum, how did you feel?” he asked, staring intently at Alex.

“Like crap,” Reggie chimed in, but Luke elbowed him in the ribs, groaning and rolling his eyes.

“It didn’t matter what we felt like,” Luke said, shrugging. “When Julie told us to go join Caleb’s club to save ourselves, it wasn’t even an option. Making music with her, that’s the only thing that mattered. Not Caleb’s promise of applause.”

“Applause and praise for our music didn’t mean anything unless we were doing it with Julie,” Alex said slowly, and a smile began to grow on Willie’s face.

“You had everything you wanted, you didn’t want anything more,” he said, and Alex furrowed his eyebrows, nodding slowly. Willie laughed, shaking his head. “That’s how I felt right then, I even said it,” he said gently, blushing as he looked away. “Caleb promised me freedom and solitude if I stayed by his side, but right now, with you Alex? I had everything I wanted,” he whispered. “Caleb’s magic only works when there’s a want for more, and it’s hard for that to not be there. But for you guys, you managed to find that.”

Alex sighed, leaning forward to rest his shoulder against Willie’s smiling softly. “You did too,” he whispered, and Willie laughed breathily, touching their noses together. “Being with me was everything you wanted, huh?” he teased, and Willie scoffed, throwing his head back.

“Like you didn’t know,” he whispered, and Alex laughed, shaking his head as best as he could without lifting his forehead.

“I didn’t know, trust me,” he giggled, and Willie bit his lip, reaching up to cup Alex’s face.

“Well, will this let you know?” he asked, before leaning forward, pressing his lips to Alex’s.

If bumping into Willie all those months ago had felt like a spark, kissing him felt like 200 fireworks were going off around Alex’s mind, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was, there was someone who he loved, who loved him back. That cheesy movie love that he thought he would never find in his wildest dreams was right here, in front of him, and he actually found it. After all, who could say they were lucky enough to have found their soulmate?

Luke and Reggie, who were still standing there, but hiding behind the garage door to try and give the two space, just looked at each other in amusement.

“They’re lucky, aren’t they?” Luke said quietly, and Reggie nodded his head.

“I love it when people who are meant to be together find each other!” he replied excitedly, and Luke rolled his eyes, shaking his head fondly, as Alex and Willie broke apart, falling into another embrace.

“Me too buddy,” he whispered, shoving Reggie’s shoulder. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I SWEAR I KNOW HOW TO WRITE FLUFF IM SORRY   
> anyway this is what my midterm-addled brain gave so, enjoy! ahahaha  
> COMMENTS/KUDOS APPRECIATED
> 
> twitter: ghostboyfs  
> tumblr: thirteen-beaxhes


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